Q & A

If you’re trying to set up a consultation or an appointment with a mover during the COVID-19 pandemic, make sure to use digital tools to avoid exposure. When searching for movers online, ask if they’d be willing to do a video chat to assess the size of your move. This will be in place of the typical “walk-through” they perform, and they may be able to give you a price quote. You can also discuss safe strategies for completing the job during your call or video chat.

If you decide to hire a mover, consider making adjustments to accommodate current guidelines. This may involve staying outside while the mover works inside your home or letting the mover handle only parts of the move.

It’s important to follow social distancing guidelines while performing any service work. For example, do not make physical contact with the movers, maintain at least 6 feet of distance between you at all times, and use digital payments instead of cash or a check.

Your local city or state’s government website is a great resource if you’re trying to figure out whether a mover is considered an essential service provider during the COVID-19 pandemic.

For a source of national guidelines, visit the CISA website’s Identifying Critical Infrastructure During COVID-19. On this page, you’ll find 16 categories of critical infrastructure sectors. But note that some -- not all -- jurisdictions follow CISA’s definitions of critical infrastructure.

Most local moving companies are likely to accept some form of digital payment. Particularly with the COVID-19 pandemic, more companies are likely to conduct transactions through platforms like PayPal, Zelle, Square Cash, Venmo, Google Pay and more.

To ensure the mover accepts a platform you can use, you can peruse the mover’s online profile and see what is listed there. You can also ask the mover about payment policies during a consultation call.

A mover will likely need to enter your home -- unless you’ve placed all of your belongings outside beforehand. To stay safe during the COVID-19 pandemic, you might to consider keeping all (or most) of the work outside and/or having at-risk individuals leave the house while the movers work.

You can minimize exposure by doing a preliminary walk-through by video call instead of in person. Discuss your options with the top movers near you before hiring one.